Building device



0. H. MARTINSEN.

BUILDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1920.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920 Irpz EITLIIE i.

UNITED STATES OTTOCAR I-I. MARTINSEN, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO.

BUILDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

Application filed March 12, 1920. Serial No. 365,359.

T b all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, OTTOCAR H. MARTIN- SEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have made an Invention Appertaining to Building Devices; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to pro vide a plurality of sheet material bodies that are so arranged or formed that they may be readily built into a great variety of constructions. The invention particularly has for its object to provide a means whereby a large number of toy structures may be made, such as houses and barns of different forms, fences, boats and towers, the object being to provide a means for enabling young people to build objects according to their imagination and ingenuity for the purpose, particularly, of their entertainment and development of their ability as constructors. My invention provides the unit or element for such building purposes and by the use of a plurality of such elements firm structures of different forms may be created and made by the user of my invention.

The invention may be embodied in sheet materials of different forms. While my invention contemplates broadly a means for securing together the elemental units of my invention, yet a great variety of forms of sheet material may be used in conjunction with the parts that constitute my invention, the form of configuration of such sheet ma terials being made according to the exigencies that may be met with in forming the construction to be built by the user of my invention and particularly for the purpose of tying together or combining in the construction separate units that form a part of my invention.

In order to illustrate a practical application of the invention I have selected one or two structures containing the inventlon and shall describe them hereinafter. The structure selected is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of my invention will appear from the following description and upon examination of the drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates an element used for making the toy buildings of the different forms by binding or securing together a plurality of the units illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a wall or flooring structure that may be used for a great variety of purposes. The figure illustrating the means, forming a part of my invention for tying or connecting together the units illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates conventionally another form that is constructed of the units and the means for combining them together. Fig. t is a conventional illustration of a house that may be formed oi units illustrated in Fig. 1, that are combined together by the means illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 illustrates an example of a great variety of combining devices formed of sheet material that may be formed according to the ingenuity of the constructor for combining together a plurality of such units as is illustrated in Fig. 1.

1 and 2, Figs. 1 and 2, are rectangular cards that may be made of paper or any ther similar semi-flexible material which, however, has a rigidity about that of: the ordinary playing card. They may be formed of paper, sheet metal, celluloid, stiffened cloth, or any other suitable sheet material having the desired amount of flexibility and yet rigidity. Portions of the card are bent back and so that the r turned portions are located on the same side of each card. In the form of the construction shown they are bent along parallel lines that are located distances from each other about the Width of the card, preferably along lines that are located a little greater than the width of the card. The inturned ed es of the card 2 are indicated at the dotted lines 3 shown in Fig. 1 and the inturned edges of the card 1 are indicated at the dotted lines 4. The sides of the cards 1 and 2 on ends of the card 1 are inserted between the inturned ends of the card 2 and the dotted portion of the card 2. Likewise, the inturned ends of the card 2 are inserted between the ,inturned ends of the card 1 and the body turned portions of the said other card and the body portion of the said other card, the inturned portions of the two cards will overlap or interlock. Also by'this formation cards or connecting members may be insertedbe'tween the pairs ct cards on all sides of the units or elements thus formed. In the form shown cards may be inserted between the cards 1 and 2 at any of the tour sides of the unit, for instance, cards may be inserted between the inturned ends of the card 2 and the body portion of the card 1, or cards may be inserted between the inturnedends of the card 1 and the body portion of the card 2. The cards that are thus inserted in the element may be used for tying the element to other elements in inserting such cards intosuch other elements that may be in juxtaposition with the first element. This is particularly illustrated in Fig.2 wherein four elements are bound together by inserting cards 5. The elements 6, 7,8 and 9" are illustrated as being bound together by the cards 5 indicated by the dotted lines 10 in the one case, 11 in the other and 1 3 in the other, that is, elements 6 and 8 are bound together by the cardswhose edges are indicated by the dotted lines marked 11, and the elements 8 and 9 are bound together by the cardswhose-edges are indicated by the dotted lines marked 12, and the elements 7 and 9 are connected together by a card whose edges are marked 13 and theelements 6 and 7 are connected together by the card whose edges are marked 10. It will thus be noted that the central elements of. the wall, by that is meant those other than the elements located around the edges of the wall, will have a double layer of connecting cards 5 practically covering or extending across the interior of such central elements, as appears t-rom the inner corners of the four elements 6, 7 8 and 9 as in connection with the element 6 wherein the quarters of the cards 5' having the edges 10 and 11 overlie each other and in connection with the element 8, quarters of the cards having the edges 11 and 12' overlie, and in connection with the element 9 quarters of the cards havin the edges 12' and 13 overlie, and in connection with the element 7 quarters of the cards having the edges 10 and 12 overlie;

It will thus be seen that in the central portion of such a wall structure there will be the stiffening elf'ect produced, first by the body portions of the two cards that are connected to form each element, second, the two sets otinturned ends which overlap each other and connect the two cards together,

and third, a double layer of binding cards weight such as lead soldier toys and other playth-ings of the nursery, and in the making of towers six or seven feet high in imitation 01 the Eifi'el Tower or of the VVashington monument. The elemental units may be bound together to' form structures wherein the elementsmay be disposed not only in the same plane as indicated in Fig. 2, but also may be placed in an angle to each other to form prisms or blocks, or where walls are to be connected together at their corners, and where the floors are to be connected to the walls. In such cases the cards 5 are bent along: preferably their central lines to thus dispose adjoining elements at an angle to each other. An illustration of this is shown in Fig. 3 wherein a prism-or triangular body is formed. This figure also indicates more in detail the formation of the elements and of the arrangement and location of the connecting cards 5, parts being broken away to make the interconnecting of the cards clearer. ln-the figure, card 1 of the element 141' has the inturned end 15 whose edge is marked 4. The card 2 has the inturned end 16" whose edge is marked 3. The card 5 is bent along its center, part being inserted in the element 17 and part being inserted in the element 1 1. Where it is inserted in the element 1 1 it is inserted beneath the ends 15 and 16 and above the body portion of the card 2. The cards 5 may be of any width or length desired, but the preferred length and width is that it shall be that of nearly the widthof the cards-of which the elements are formed. The elements 1 1 and 18 are connected' together in the same way and also the elements 17 and 18 are connected to gether, and inthe particular instancetorm a prismatic construction. This idea, however, may be expressed in a great variety of forms and geometrical constructions or ures made by the cards.

If desired, where the cards are bent to form either the interlocking ends of the cards that combine the cards that form the elements, or where the cards 5 are bent to interlock elements that are located at an angle to one another, and in fact wherever the cards are bent, they may be reinforced such as by cloth or other material secured or cemented to the cards.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a conventional form of a house having the roof 19 which is formed of the elements connected together by the cards 5, the two sloping parts being connected by the cards 5 which are bent along their central lines in the manner illustrated in connection with the formation of the prism illustrated in Fig. 3 and having the chimney 20 which is a cube formed in substantially the same manner. The walls 21 are formed of a plurality of units con nected together in the manner as illustrated in Fig. 2, and the walls are connected together at their corners by bending the cards 5 along their central lines in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3. The manner of connecting the roof to the walls, if it is desired to securely make the connection, may be done in a great .variety of ways, and the inventive genius of the user of the invention may be exercised in thus making the interconnection. Fig. 5 is illustrative of one of a number of methods of such interconnecting means. The card 22 of the house is illustrated in Fig. 5. The card 22 may be bent along the line 23 and slots 24 may be cut or torn or otherwise formed in the end 25 that is thus bent at an angle. The portion 26 may be inserted between the cards that form the element 27, the portion 28 may be inserted between the cards that form the unit 29 and the portion 30 may be inserted between the cards that form the element 81. The lower portion 32 of the card 22 may be inserted in the element Thus the upper edge of the front and rear wall along the roof may be closed and the walls and roof secured together. If the roof is such that its lower edge terminates along the upper edge of the wall 21, they may be secured together in the same manner that the elements 1% and 17 are secured together in the prismatic form illustrated in Fig. 3. If, however, it is desired to form eaves, the roof maybe placed on the top of the side walls 21. Also, if it is desired to trim the edge of the roof, cards may be inserted in the elements along the lower edges of the roof and bent in any suitable manner for decorative purposes.

It will thus be seen that a great variety of structures may be formed by the use of my invention and the ingenuity of the user of the invention may be exercised not only in the mere constructing of structures but also in arranging them as to esthetic purposes.

If desired, cards may be suitably colored to represent roof or floor structures or windows or doors, also cards may be cut to rep resent doors, windows, lattice work and decorative trimmings.

I claim:

1. In a building unit, a pair of sheet material parts having portions bent back on the body portions of the sheet material parts and so as to be located on the same side of each of the sheet material parts, the said portions of each sheet material part being located between the portions of the other sheet material part and the body portion of the said other sheet material part whereby the said sheet material parts are interlocked.

2. In a building unit, a pair of oblong sheet material parts having portions bent hack on to the body portions of the sheet material parts and along lines located at a distance front each other substantially the same as the width of the sheet material parts, the said portions of each sheet mate rial part being located between the portions of the other sheet material part and the body portion of the said other sheet material part.

3. A sheet material structure formed of a plurality of building units comprising a plurality of pairs of sheet material parts having portions bent back on the body portions of the sheet material parts and so as to be located on the same side of each of the sheet material parts, the said portions of each sheet material part being located between the portion of the other sheet material part and the body portion of the said other sheet material part whereby the said sheet material parts are interlocked, and a sheet material part inserted between the pairs of sheet material parts and each pair of adjoining edges of the units.

4. A card structure formed of a plurality of card building units, comprising a plurality of pairs of cards, the cards of each pair interlocked by having ends turned inward toward each other along parallel. lines located at distances apart substantially equal to the width of the cards and being located between the inturned ends of the other card and the body portion of such other card of the pair, and a card inserted between the pairs of cards at each pair of adjoining edges of the units.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

OTTOCAR H. MARTINSEN. 

